Tapeworm in fish: is it possible to eat tapeworm fish, a danger to humans

The presence of saltpeter worms in fish can be determined by paying attention to the strange behavior of fish in a pond. Fish swim closer to the surface and cannot go to depth. Developing in the belly of the fish, the tapeworm damages the swim bladder, which is the reason for such strange behavior of the fish. As you know, under certain conditions, this parasite can harm a person.

Appearance Description

The tapeworm is one of the largest parasites, since it can grow up to several meters in length, although in fish its length does not exceed 25 cm, with a width of about 2 cm. This parasite has a rather conspicuous appearance, which makes it easy to distinguish it from other helminths.

This worm resembles a wavy, uneven, and sometimes twisted tape. In this regard, this type of helminth has another name – “wide ribbon”. The body color of the parasite is white. The body consists of many segments, and at one end is a small head, about 5 mm in diameter. The number of segments is simply huge and has about 4 thousand pieces. In the photo you can see what this parasite looks like.

The peculiarity of the segments is that they participate in the process of reproduction. When their number reaches 60 or more, the segments begin to mate with each other. After that, eggs are formed in the segments, which are brought out into the external environment through special holes.

An important point! The worm can grow from one segment if it is torn from the body of the parasite. To do this, it is enough for him to get into a comfortable environment.

How does the infection occur?

To become a sexually mature individual, this helminth must go through several stages of development. At these stages, the worm needs to get into the body of two intermediate living objects and one main one.

These stages of development include:

1. Infected mammals release millions of immature eggs into the natural environment through their feces. Once in the natural environment, the eggs remain viable for a month. If they fail to get into a comfortable environment (into the water), then during this time they will simply die.
2. If the eggs fall into the water (in the reservoir), then free-swimming larvae (procercoid) are released. At this stage, they enter the body of copepods, which are the first owners of worms.
3. As a rule, fish eat such copepods and, as a result, parasites enter the body of fish, which are another intermediate link in the development of this worm.
4. At the last stage, the worms enter the body of a person or animals that eat fish infected with a tapeworm.

Attaching to the walls of the intestine, the larvae grow to adults in a short term.

It is important to know! If you eat infected fish without heat treatment, you can easily become a carrier of this worm.

Once in the human intestine, this parasite is able to multiply for 20 years, oppressing it and taking away nutrients.

It is important to remember! Tapeworm larvae floating in water bodies do not pose any danger to humans, since they did not have time to go through the preliminary stages of their development.

Solitary fish: signs, behavioral features

Once in the abdominal cavity of the fish, the tapeworm quickly grows to such a size that it begins to interfere with the life of the fish, squeezing the swim bladder and other internal organs. As a rule, this leads to atrophy, in addition, metabolism is disturbed and endogenous intoxication occurs. The swim bladder can no longer perform its functions to the full, like other organs.

Therefore, you can visually determine whether the fish is infected or not:

• Infected fish cannot descend to a depth of more than 3 meters, but mostly they swim closer to the surface, turning over on their side or back.
• The belly of such a fish is swollen and elastic, and when pressed, a segment of the parasite may appear from it.
• Such a fish practically does not resist when playing and quickly dies without water.

If the caught problematic fish is gutted, then white solitary worms can be found in the abdominal cavity. The larvae of this parasite are found in the liver, intestines, and also in the muscle tissues of the fish. They are so small that it is almost impossible to see them with the naked eye.

You are more likely to catch infected fish during the summer, although there are some risks of catching sick fish during other, colder periods.

What types of fish are susceptible to infection

According to experts, 47 species of fish are susceptible to tapeworm infection, especially river fish such as crucian carp, silver bream, rudd, asp, pike, roach, etc. At the same time, bream suffers most from such an invasion, so often the entire catch is infected.

As a rule, infected fish are found in ponds with dirty water. To date, there are plenty of such reservoirs throughout our country. Large rivers are also not without such a disadvantage, not to mention small lakes and ponds, in which all fish can be infected.

An important point! If an unpleasant odor comes from the water, then this is a sure sign that the fish in the pond is infected with helminths. When the tapeworm no longer fits inside the fish, it tears it apart. As a result, the fish die, and massively, which poisons the reservoir.

Such fish can also be caught in regions that are characterized as safe from the point of view of environmentalists. In the Far East, worms are found in such valuable fish as trout and salmon, as well as in voble.

Saltwater fish are not as commonly affected by the tapeworm, as this parasite does not like to live in salt water. Therefore, only some species of salmon are susceptible to such invasion.

Interesting to know! In some species of fish, such a worm is practically not found. These are whitefish, peled, pike perch, therefore, the more such fish in the reservoir, the less the rest of the fish becomes infected with helminths.

Is it possible to eat specimen fish

If the fish is gutted, then the tapeworm found inside it does not pose a danger to humans, but the larvae remaining in it, which are unlikely to be detected with the naked eye, are quite dangerous for humans. If they manage (at least one) to enter the human body, then in a couple of months they will reach the size of adults. Even developing in the human body, parasites practically do not cause any symptoms, and only in some cases dizziness, nausea, pain in the abdomen, problems with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and irritability are possible. This only suggests that human organisms react differently to various problems, including helminth infections.

As a result of the appearance of a tapeworm in the human body, the development of diphyllobothriasis is possible, which is associated with damage to the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, the development of megaloblastic anemia is possible, and as a result of intestinal obstruction, deaths have been noted.

Naturally, it is better not to eat infected fish, but it is better to throw it away or bury it in the ground. While in the ground, tapeworm larvae die. In no case should it be released back into the reservoir, since the larvae feel great in the water, and will continue to infect the fish.

What to do if it’s a pity to throw away the catch

It is important to know! If there is a sexually mature parasite in the fish, then it is clear that it is already full of larvae.

Unfortunately, this fact does not scare many anglers, and it is a pity to throw away another trophy. In that case, they hope to render the fish harmless through careful heat treatment. It is very important to gut the fish and remove the worms with all its segments. The larvae are guaranteed to die if the fish is subjected to:

• Frozen, at a temperature not higher than -20 degrees. At this temperature, fish carcasses are kept for about 3 days.
• Deep salting, taking a salt concentration of at least 12 percent in relation to the weight of the fish. In such conditions, the fish is aged for at least a week.
• Cooking for 30 minutes or frying for 15 minutes at least, after cutting the fish into small pieces.
• Baking on an open fire.
• Hot smoking for a couple of hours no less.

It should be remembered that small larvae can easily get both on hands during cutting and on kitchen utensils. Therefore, after such work, it is better to wash your hands with soap (household), as well as kitchen utensils.

Unfortunately, infected fish do not meet high taste standards, as parasites do not allow them to develop normally for a long time.

On a note! Naturally, dishes from raw or lightly salted fish are considered the most dangerous for humans in terms of infection with parasites. The dangerous category should also include fish caviar, as well as dried fish or cold smoked fish. If the fish is salted in a low concentration of salt or the heat treatment process is limited, then there is a high probability that the larvae will enter the human intestine and parasitize in it for a long time.

This parasite most of all infects the cyprinid family, and among this family bream and crucian carp are considered the most vulnerable. In salt water, the larvae do not feel as comfortable as in fresh water, although pollock is often found with tapeworm larvae.

It is important to remember! Sea fish enters retail outlets after deep freezing, after which the fish is also subjected to heat treatment. Such fish can be eaten without fear. If you adhere to the full technology of cooking fish, as well as comply with sanitary and hygienic standards, then the risk of infection with parasites can be reduced to zero.

In order to protect yourself from the risks of infection with various worms, it is better not to eat dried fish, as well as cold-smoked fish, especially those purchased on the market, since hardly any of the sellers subject their products to checks for parasites. Such fish is not only tasty, but also dangerous to human health.

In conclusion

Who wants to launch a tapeworm into their gastrointestinal tract. A person becomes scared even from the very name, especially since everyone knows to what size this parasite grows. In order not to be infected, it is necessary to adhere to a number of rules that can protect against various invasions. First, you need to give up lightly salted, and even more so, raw fish. Yes, it is very tasty, and besides, it is also useful, since such fish retains almost all the useful components that are so necessary for the normal functioning of the human body. Of course, if you buy fish in a store, then the risks of infection are minimal here, since the fish is deep-frozen and also checked for parasites. If you buy fresh fish on the market or from the first counter sellers, then the risks here are simply huge and you should not eat such fish without preliminary thorough heat treatment.

You should also not get carried away with dried fish, under beer, of your own production, since it is not known whether the fish is infected or not. If you violate the drying technology, you can expose yourself and your loved ones to a huge risk of infection. Many fish are caught by fishermen in wild waters, which have recently been overgrown and silted, which leads to pollution. Naturally, no one checks such fish for parasites, but many of the anglers practice both salting and drying, which is a direct threat to health, both for themselves and for those around them. It is better to process such fish well thermally, frying it or preparing canned food from it. In other words, it is better not to eat fish without thorough heat treatment.